Question for you ammo collectors and reloaders. How do you store bulk ammo? The darling husband seems to think that we need to have the .223 in 100 round boxes after he reloads. I think that after checking each round we can put them loose in an ammo can. He thinks that can damage the bullet. I said it should only affect the bullet if the crimp is bad. Who is right?
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How do you store your ammo?
- Thread starter AGoyette
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I store my bulk reloaded ammo in coffee cans, I usually load a thousand rounds at a time, as I use it from the plastic boxes that I take to the range, I refill from the coffee cans.
Don't know if this is the right way, but it works for me.
Don't know if this is the right way, but it works for me.
gunnails
Member
upside down, with the round facing down. I've had great success.
If the crimp is good, then your fine doing bulk storage. I store mine in the black plastic Winchester ammo cans that you can stack...600 rounds in each. Using the 100 round plastic boxes tends to take up too much space. There is no wrong answer, it just comes down to how much area in a room are you willing to give up for ammo storage and the added cost for the boxes verses the bulk cans.
Arik
Member
I don't reload but when I buy a case I often take the ammo out of the individual boxes and dump them in a ammo can. Nothing gets damaged.
bhayles
Member
No reloading...all store bought. All ammo is stored in 50 cal ammo cans with desiccant packs (2) in each that is long term and no desiccant in daily/monthly use ammo. 1000 rounds of 40 cal per can, 800 rounds of 5.56/223, and I'm not sure on 12 gauge or 22LR.
Cans. joe
MichiganScott
Member
Store bought goes into ammo cans in the original box. The reloads go into 50 round MTM boxes and they get stacked on the shelf. The reasoning behind this is that the reloads get used in smaller quantities (hunting, match shooting, etc.) while the factory gets used in larger quantities (training, teaching, etc.).
lamarw
SWCA Member
I use the same procedure as some of the others with surplus military ammo cans (50 Cal is my favorite but not always available). I also use standard plastic 20, 25, 50 and 100 round boxes which are placed inside the military ammo cans. I still have some rounds and shotgun shells from the 1970's, and there is no indication of discoloration. I have fired some this past year without a single failure.
I do not use dessicant packs since in my personal opinion they serve no purpose; although I can't see where they do any harm either.
I must add my ammunition has always been kept in my various homes with a controlled environment. In Nam, I can not recall there ever being an ammo issue even under the worse conditions as long as it came out of a military ammo box. The only ammo that did not seem to work even outside of ammo boxes was rounds which were physically damaged by getting banged or bent up.
My storage is as much for organization as anything else.
I do not use dessicant packs since in my personal opinion they serve no purpose; although I can't see where they do any harm either.
I must add my ammunition has always been kept in my various homes with a controlled environment. In Nam, I can not recall there ever being an ammo issue even under the worse conditions as long as it came out of a military ammo box. The only ammo that did not seem to work even outside of ammo boxes was rounds which were physically damaged by getting banged or bent up.
My storage is as much for organization as anything else.
cyphertext
US Veteran
I think this has a different answer for different scenarios...
Hand loaded, perfectly tuned to the barrel match grade ammo for serious competitions... then they probably should be stored in some type of devices that holds each individual cartridge and keeps it from banging around into another one. Storing them this way also allows for easier round count, but takes up more room.
Mass produced, reloaded plinking ammo to go shoot steel and such... throw them loose in the ammo can.
Hand loaded, perfectly tuned to the barrel match grade ammo for serious competitions... then they probably should be stored in some type of devices that holds each individual cartridge and keeps it from banging around into another one. Storing them this way also allows for easier round count, but takes up more room.
Mass produced, reloaded plinking ammo to go shoot steel and such... throw them loose in the ammo can.
ChattanoogaPhil
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I shoot a lot of M855 in my AR. I buy it loose and I dump it loose into 7.62 ammo can that holds around 500 rounds of 5.56. That's what I take to the range.
It is true that any minor damage imperfection in the bullet can affect accuracy. To avoid this with my Rem 700 I store ammo in factory boxes with separators and use a loading ramp which effectively makes my 700 a single shot rifle. But since we're talking about an autoloader battle accuracy AR... loose rounds are just fine.
That said, your husband probably takes pride in his reloads, so maybe just leave him be, eh?
It is true that any minor damage imperfection in the bullet can affect accuracy. To avoid this with my Rem 700 I store ammo in factory boxes with separators and use a loading ramp which effectively makes my 700 a single shot rifle. But since we're talking about an autoloader battle accuracy AR... loose rounds are just fine.
That said, your husband probably takes pride in his reloads, so maybe just leave him be, eh?
GrayGhost99
Member
Cranked out by the thousands handgun plinking ammo goes in empty shot bags. If you don't have the old cloth ones or don't reload shotshell a lot of farm stores sell white cloth bags in the canning area. 2 of these then go in an ammo can along with 1 empty bag. As you shoot the empties go in the empty bag.
Rastoff
US Veteran
Stored in 100 rounds boxes with the rounds separated, like the MTM cases, is definitely better for the rounds. There is no chance they will be bumped around and potentially bent or dinged.
That said, I've never seen ammo damaged by being stored loose in a box.
This is one of those situations where neither is necessarily wrong. You have to decide if you want to fight this battle. The storage cases are cheap and of good quality. What do you have to lose?
That said, I've never seen ammo damaged by being stored loose in a box.
This is one of those situations where neither is necessarily wrong. You have to decide if you want to fight this battle. The storage cases are cheap and of good quality. What do you have to lose?
MasterTech1960
Member
I store my ammo in little brass cases, along with some powder and primer. 
I had a thread a few months ago about vacuum packing for long term storage. Some people liked the idea and some did not. I have a few hundred stored like that now. I figure it cant hurt.
I had a thread a few months ago about vacuum packing for long term storage. Some people liked the idea and some did not. I have a few hundred stored like that now. I figure it cant hurt.
GF
SWCA Member
Here's one more poster in favor of ammo cans.
I also try to keep my stash about the same temp & humidity year 'round.
Some ammo I dump into the cans (saves space & adds more room to round out the count in the can) & others get put up in the original boxes.
Some ammo that isn't gonna' stay around long just gets left in the shipping container.
GF
I also try to keep my stash about the same temp & humidity year 'round.
Some ammo I dump into the cans (saves space & adds more room to round out the count in the can) & others get put up in the original boxes.
Some ammo that isn't gonna' stay around long just gets left in the shipping container.
GF
happy1
US Veteran
I did just keep my .223 lose in .50 cal ammo cans but started using stripper clips I can get over a 1,000 rounds per 50 cal can now by stacking them in the can and keeping in the house cool & dry gets pretty dam hot here in AZ in the summer.
Paul
Paul
